Month: February 2016

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You can. Today was such a long busy day. I learned something new about myself. Self-awareness is a must.

Just blogging it out . . . OH and Happy Monday Night!

BLACK HISTORY FACT: http://www.blackfacts.com/

In a world that’s full of preferences and prejudices, isn’t it wonderful to serve a God that doesn’t show favoritism. No matter how many times I tell myself that I am God’s favorite, it’s just not true. 😀 Acts 10:34 says,  Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. And Romans 2:11 says,  For God does not show favoritism. Nope, He doesn’t and we’re not supposed to either, but that’s a different post. LOL

“What God has for you is for you” is a Christianese catch phrase that’s been around for awhile. There’s absolutely no reason to compare ourselves to anyone. And no reason to feel bad when someone receives something that you want or accomplish something that you’re trying to do. There’s a sour grapes kind of comment that’s just as popular. I hear it when people are disappointed when someone they know has succeeded. So many people have said it that it’s even made it into the church. Have you heard this one, “God didn’t give that to me because He has something better.” Really? So you’re comparing God’s blessings now???

Romans 8:28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Instead of making up catch phrases that fuels jealousy and resentment, we should focus on God and His purpose for us. You never know what a person had to go through to achieve their current status. If you’ve been praying for something that you haven’t received, it’s not your time or maybe it’s not for you to have. God’s plan is perfect. If God shows no favoritism, we’ll get exactly what He wants us to have. Seek Him and stay focused on Him. If you focus on what you don’t have, you’re wasting the first gift that God gave you, LIFE! Trust Him, you’ll get yours. 😀

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and HAPPY FRIDAY NIGHT!

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

 

 

 

Well, the end of our two week vacation is drawing nigh quickly and everything will be back to normal on Monday which isn’t a bad thing at all. But vacations are great, huh? We enjoyed our vacation in the outback with our German Shepherd, Scout and we also completed a few projects around the house. I think one of our favorite parts about this vacation is the carefree feeling that we haven’t experienced in a long time.

Antoine and I have conversations about our marriage all the time. We check-in with each other to make sure out needs are being met. You know what? We realized we have been missing out on something vital in our marriage. It’s actually been weighing on me for the last week. To be honest, we’ve ignored this problem for about five years now. I decided it was time to share this information with hopes that it will help someone else. Here goes.

Since our den is on the smaller side, we purchased a sofa that is too small for spooning. Yup, for five years our spooning has been limited to the bedroom only. Yes, we cuddled on that small sofa as much as we could, but it was never enough. Today, we decided to buy a sectional that has allowed us to achieve full spoonage beyond the bedroom. After all these years, we thought our den was too small for a sectional. Thank God we were wrong.

Married couples, I encourage you to evaluate your sofa’s spoon-ability. Don’t limit your spooning to the bedroom like we did. Every couple should achieve full spoonage outside of the bedroom. I’m being silly. 😀

Seriously, it is important to take time to focus on each other. If you can’t take two weeks, take as much time as you can. No amount of time is too small. A five minute conversation that’s focused on your spouse can make a huge difference. All right, I gotta get back to spooning with Antoine.

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and HAPPY THURSDAY NIGHT!!

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

 

I’ve always been a talker, a regular old chatter box. My first or second grade teacher nicknamed me Talkative Tanya because I always had something to say. LOL Of course I’ve learned to control this chatter box of mine . . . kind of. LOL 😀

Here’s the funny story . . .

I was working on a project with a group of people that involved evaluating the effort of others. We wanted to make sure we understood the directions so we decided to talk to the organizer of the project. As I was asking her a question, she interrupted me assuming that she knew what I was going to ask. After she gave me her answer, I politely told her that I was going to ask her something else then proceeded to ask her again. Once again, she interrupted me and gave another answer that didn’t have anything to do with what I was asking her. Guess what! She did it two times more. Finally, I asked her if I could please finish. LOL

Have you ever been involved in a conversation like that? I’m afraid I have been on both ends of the conversation. *****Hear ye! Hear ye! I apologize to anyone that I’ve ever interrupted and acted like I had some kind of ESP. LOL***** I jest. 😀

James 1:19 says, Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

Listening is essential in ALL relationships. With one mouth and two ears, it’s obvious what’s more important. Listen to get an understanding, not to respond. On this subject, I’m definitely not exempt, I’m . . .

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and Happy Wednesday Night!! 😀

 

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

 

 

Out of all the things I’ve accomplished, I am most proud of being Antoine Cook’s wife. I know. I know. That is probably a feminist irk, but it’s true. You see, I’ve doubted myself in so many areas of my life from who I am to what I should be. I’ve tried to change my personality . . . didn’t work. LOL 😀 I’ve tried desperately not to talk so loud . . . nope, didn’t work either. 😀 Okay, I’m being silly.

Here’s my point. I know that God put me on this earth to be the wife of Antoine Cook. Don’t get me wrong. I’m here to do other things. Antoine actually clowned me today; he said I was an overachiever. When I asked him why, he said, “You’re an author even though you graduated from Thornton. You’re an overachiever.” HA! He went to our rival high school, H. L. Richards. 😀

This post isn’t like my other ones, I know. I just felt the need to introduce myself again. Hello, I’m Antoine Cook’s wife and I’m . . .

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and Happy Tuesday Night!! 😀

 

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

Thanks to a free HBO weekend from U-Verse, I saw a good movie called Unbroken. It is a biopic based on Louis Zamperini who was a USA Olympian and a US prisoner of war survivor during WWII. Before being captured by Japanese soldiers, he also survived forty seven days on an inflatable raft after his plane crashed into the ocean. The movie was very hard to watch mainly because of the torture that Zamperini had to endure from the head of the Japanese prison camp, Mutsuhiro “Bird” Watanabe. All of the prisoners were treated poorly, but Watanabe singled Zamperini out for more than two years obviously trying to break him down physically and mentally. At one point in the movie, Zamperini told a fellow prisoner that he was going to kill Watanabe. The other prisoner told him the best revenge would be to survive.

When the war finally ended, Watanabe went into hiding and Zamperini went home. He was no longer a prisoner of war, but he had to deal with the battle in his mind. He had nightmares about killing his captors and also drank heavily. He eventually became a born again Christian which lead him to forgive all of his captors including Watanabe. Later in life, he returned to Japan where he ran a leg in the Olympic Torch relay for the winter games. He tried to meet with Watanabe, but he refused.

I love this story because it shows the power of God. Zamperini was able to forgive Watanabe after receiving Jesus into his heart. By the world’s standards, Zamperini’s unforgiveness was justified, but it was doing more harm to him than good. If you’ve seen the movie, post a comment and tell me what you thought of it.

There will always be people that Satan will use to try to bring us down. We have to forgive even if the person or people don’t apologize. Harboring bitterness and unforgiveness will adversely affect us not the other people. Unforgiveness is just not worth it. Once again, let’s stay focused on the Lord and pray for our enemies. Matthew 5:44 says, But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! Remember, I’m not exempt. I’m  . . .

 

Just blogging it out . . .Oh and Happy Monday Night!! 😀

 

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

 

It’s very easy to give up when things are difficult or if you’ve failed at something you’ve tried hard to accomplish. At least you tried, right? Here’s where I tell you one of my embarrassing stories. 😀

While pursuing my education, I failed my first Statistics exam. My failing grade was beyond an F. I got a K for kill yo self foo. LOL 😀 Just kidding of course. Lighten up. 😀 I felt so horrible. I conversed with my professor about dropping the course because I didn’t think I would pass. He told me that I needed to study more, not drop the course. EASY FOR HIM TO SAY!! 😀 Every negative thing that I heard about Statistics was true. It was designed by Satan himself. LOL After a full on snot-fest, I decided to return to class. Long story short, my final grade was a B. I ruined my chance of an A with my first exam score.

It would’ve been easy for me to go down to the registrar office to request to drop the course, but guess what. I would’ve been a semester behind and back in the same class the following term. That’s how regular life lessons are. If you don’t stay focused on the Lord, we fail or just give up. That doesn’t get us to the next level so we end up having to go through the same thing over and over again until we PASS! It’s better to hang in there. I heard a pastor say, “Every storm is a school. Every trial is a teacher. Every experience is an education. Every difficulty is for your development.” True, huh?

Whether it’s a harebrained scheme we’ve gotten ourselves into or one that the enemy has thrust upon us, God can use it for good. I constantly remind myself to praise God during difficult times and that there is a lesson to be learned that will make me stronger. Romans 5:3,4 says, ³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

No matter what we are going through, there is a lesson that God wants us to learn. So  don’t give up . . . GROW UP!! I’m not exempt, I’m  . . .

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and Happy Friday Night!

BLACK HISTORY FACTS:  http://www.blackfacts.com/

 

Throughout my life I’ve prayed for a BUNCH of miracles. Even before I had a relationship with the Lord or cared about having one. Usually these requests would be made when I was down in the dumps about something. Like during the time when creditors would call threatening to confiscate my belongings after I had charged up my three credit cards to the max. Creditors were ruthless back then and could say pretty much anything they wanted to you. I remember one lady left a message telling me that my debt would never go away until I paid them in full. She also told me to consider selling my answering machine. LOL I prayed to win the lottery even though I only owed $950. Now that’s funny! Now where was I? Oh yeah. I would also pray to be taller or for the scar on my left cheek to go away. When I was really young, I asked for an afro like Christie Love. I didn’t realize I already had one. Which is leading to my point. By the way, I have excellent credit now and I am very financially responsible; I wear heels to be taller; 😀 and I’m growing back my afro. Christie Love still ROCKS! 😀

What are miracles? Merriam-Webster defines a miracle as an unusual or wonderful event that is believed to be caused by the power of God. For me, my entire life is a miracle. Yeah, philosophers and theologians wouldn’t agree because they wouldn’t see anything extraordinary about my life. Everything that I’ve accomplished is possible for anyone to do as long as you put your mind to it. What if you didn’t even know you could put your mind to such things. What if your life is headed in the opposite direction? I’m not one of those people that had a rough life. I’m not. In fact, most people would say I had it pretty easy. But if you’re not on the path that God designed for you, easy is definitely not good.

Miracles happen when we focus on the Lord and what He has planned for us. He has miracles that are already in place for us. Miracles happen when we are finally tired of doing things our way. God’s plan will give you new ideas that you’ve never EVER thought could or would happen. Alright, that’s all for now. We’re still enjoying the great outdoors. Take some time to think about your miracles. As for mine, I’m  . . .

Just blogging it out . . . Oh and HAPPY WEDNESDAY NIGHT!! 😀

Black History Facts: http://www.blackfacts.com/

The hubby and I decided to take our pal, Scout the wonder dog, on a road trip. So here we are in the middle of nowhere in a rented RV enjoying the night sky. Toine is trying to figure out the WiFi connect thingy while Scout is trying to catch some z’s. I’m thinking about a question I was asked this morning out of the blue. “What’s the purpose of your marriage?” A list of things popped into my head, but I summed up my answer with, “to be a healthy example of a beautiful marriage to other couples”. Yeah, that’s it, yeah. LOL

The longer we are together, the more God reveals His purpose for us being together because we desire to know. You see, we’re not together to make each other happy. In fact, we don’t depend on each other for our happiness; we depend on God for that. God put us together for His purpose. And not just us. God has a purpose for every married couple. Yup. It’s up to you and your spouse to seek God to find out what it is. Besides the fact that we are in love and have a great time together, knowing that God put us together for a specific reason gives us that extra oomph. You know what I mean?

God called you for a great purpose designed by Him. Don’t get God’s plan mixed up with your plan. Unfortunately, our plans can lead us to a life of chaos and calamity or just a mundane existence. It’s up to you to find out what His purpose for your life. God is waiting for you to ask. This was a quick post because I want to get back to my hubby. 😀  

Just blogging it out . . .Oh and HAPPY TUESDAY NIGHT! 😀

 

Black History Facts: http://www.blackfacts.com/